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Comparison between virtual and traditional teams
Virtual teams introduction
Comparison between virtual and traditional teams
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A virtual team is a group of people working interdependently via various types of electronic media across organizational and geographical boundaries for a shared purpose (D’Souza & Colarelli, 2010). Research indicates virtual teams are becoming increasingly popular in organizations across the United States and the world (D’Souza & Colarelli, 2010; Rusman, van Bruggen, Sloep, & Koper, 2010). These teams vary in size, degree of geographic dispersion, prior shared work experience, nature of assignment, and expectations of a common future (Rusman et al., 2010). Although virtual teams have potential advantages like the removal of physical boundaries, the ability to form new partnerships, and optimization of competencies (Chinowsky & Rojas, 2003), they also introduce many challenges that may not be as prevalent in traditional teams.
Remaining focused on the overall goals and objectives of a project can become an issue if these are not consistently restated by managers or team leaders. Without the advantage of regular and ad hoc personal meetings, members of virtual teams may misinterpret, inadvertently change, or lose focus on the goals of the project. Because of this, individuals are charged with a greater responsibility to remain focused on both expected outcomes and objectives (Chinowsky & Rojas, 2003).
A reliable environment for teams to exchange information in a secure manner may be a necessity for virtual teams; therefore, security can pose another challenge. Different types of projects may require different levels of security. A virtual private network may be necessary to ensure that information is passed securely to the desired recipients. Authentication and encryption techniques can guarantee secure transmission of electronic...
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...2), 93-95. doi:10.1145/1323688.1323714
Greenberg, P., Greenberg, R., & Antonucci, Y. (2007). Creating and sustaining trust in virtual teams. Business Horizons, 50, 325-333. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2007.02.005
Mortensen, M., & Hinds, P. (2001). CONFLICT AND SHARED IDENTITY IN GEOGRAPHICALLY DISTRIBUTED TEAMS. International Journal of Conflict Management (1997-2002), 12(3), 212-238. doi:10.1108/eb022856
Platt, L. (1999). Virtual Teaming: Where Is Everyone?. Journal for Quality & Participation, 22(5), 41. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3616/is_199909/ai_n8872660/
Rusman, E., van Bruggen, J., Sloep, P., & Koper, R. (2010). Fostering trust in virtual project teams: Towards a design framework grounded in a TrustWorthiness ANtecedents (TWAN) schema. International Journal of Human -- Computer Studies, 68(11), 834-850. doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2010.07.003
Attaining results from a team consisting of members likely spread across vast distances is an increasingly difficult task without taking advantage of the necessary resources available for distance collaboration. Several factors are taken into consideration when building an effective team. Creating a team out of a group of people who come from a variety of backgrounds is not an easy task because group members must first learn how to collaborate as a team before they can even consider completing a project together. Teams have a clear purpose with defined roles for each of its participants. Collaboration with the use of technological resources comes into play when a team consists of members spread out geographically. Realizing the strengths of each team member as well as the resources that are available is essential to a team’s success.
Online learning is now a reality, with distributed learning and blended learning becoming more widely used in Higher Education (Whatley, 1999). Online learning has many advantages and disadvantages. Teamwork in online environments is becoming a widely used tool, whether it is in business or education. A team working together has more and better input than individuals working alone. This results in better ideas and decisions and higher quality output. Virtual teams are a good way to enable teamwork in situations where people are not sitting in the same physical office at the same time. The effective team-building requires the combination of clear team goals, empowerment, atmosphere of trust within the team, authentic participation of every member of team, innovative approach to work and ability to manage risks, proper leadership and ability to make the constructive changes.
According to the Theorists as groups turn into teams, most conflict happens in the “storming” stage of team development (De Janasz, Dowd & Schneider, 2001). First, one must understand what conflict is. Capozzoli (1999) cites Boulding’s 1962 definition of conflict as “a situation of competition in which the parties are aware of the incompatibility of potential future positions and in which each party wishes to occupy a position which is incompatible with the wishes of the other.” Conflict can be either constructive or destructive to the team and can be created in several ways. Conflict must be analyzed and understood for the team to resolve it.
Lojeski’s Virtual Distance Leadership Model As technology improves, businesses expand and recruitment pools decrease, organizations contemplate ways to, not only reduce the overhead costs of doing business but, to attract new talent in a competitive employment marketplace (Darleen, 2012). To do so, many organizations have redefined what it means to ‘go to work’, in terms of not only the act of getting there, but how work is accomplished and where (Lojeski & Yuva, 2008). A study conducted three years ago by the Society For Human Resource Management (SHRM) reported that almost half of the organizations surveyed utilized virtual teams (Minton-Eversole, 2012). Anyone who conducts business using mobile technology devices is considered
Due to trust’s fragility, a breaking of trust can come do to a number of seemingly insignificant circumstances. Such circumstances include a member coming late to a meeting, not being prepared, presenting illogical and not well thought-out ideas, inconsistency in behavior, holding back opinions, etc. In order to avoid such circumstances, team members must have a clear vision of their goal and have a certain degree of zeal concerning the purpose of their task. To create these two ideals, it is suggested that the first activity a group collaborates to achi...
Larson, C. and LaFasto, F. (1989), Teamwork: What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong. Newberry Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
People work in groups or teams everyday whether in their career, education, political organization, church, or any other social setting. Conflict while working in teams or groups is inevitable. When taking people of different backgrounds, personalities, moral, and ethical beliefs and putting them together in a group, conflict will arise. The key to achieving your team goals is to construct and conquer your goals with keeping the greater good of the team in mind. Conflict as it arises should be combated and abated through swift and thorough resolution techniques. When dealt with properly conflict resolution can give rise to a cohesive and productive team.
...erstanding of Teams. In N. Natalie (Ed), Teamwork: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (pp.22-30). Basingstoke, Hampshire, Palgrace Macmillan.
Today’s organizations operate in a challenging and global environment, which has forced them to become leaners, reduce production cycles, and improve production and communication technology where essential employees and content expertise have been consolidated. Organizational leaders currently do not have definitive evidence of management styles that they should seek to ensure members of a culturally diverse virtual team develop leadership, trust, and accountability. Virtual team management effectiveness will be evaluated under the five main types of management styles (Robert Tannenbaum & Warren H. Schmidt, 1958 & 1973) and other modern styles. These management styles or theories are the autocratic, democratic, bureaucratic, paternalistic, and laissez-faire. However, there are other more “modern” management styles or lead...
A group can only be called a team if the members are actively working together toward a common goal. A team must have the capability to set goals, make decisions, solve problems, and share responsibilities. For a team to be successful, trust must be earned between its members by being consistent and reliable (Temme & Katzel, 2005). When more than one person is working on a particular task, inconsistent views or opinions commonly arise. People come from different backgrounds and live through different life experiences therefore, even when working towards a common goal, they will not always see eye to eye. Major conflict that is not dealt with can devastate a team or organization (Make Conflict Work, 2008). In some situations, conflict can be more constructive than destructive. Recognizing the difference between conflict that is constructive to the team and conflict that is destructive to the team is important. Trying to prevent the conflict is not always the best way to manage conflict when working within a team setting. Understanding conflict, what causes it, and how to resolve conflict effectively, should consume full concentration.
The successful passing of information creates an important bond between virtual team members. “Without creating the connections, a virtual team can’t do what it needs to; function as a cohesive unit” (Thompson, n.d., Introduction section, ¶2). Information should be specific to the task at hand with a common goal in mind. Complete and accurate information not only helps a team reach its goal, but it also avoids problems and conflicts that arise between members. The importance of clear, concise information in a virtual team can not be stressed enough; however, timing should also be considered when sharing information. Information not received in a timely fashion also jeopardizes the cohesiveness of the team.
Thomas, K. W. (1992). Conflict and conflict management: Reflections and update. . Journal Of Organizational Behavior, 13(3), 265-274.
The Value and Struggles of Virtual Teams The purpose of this paper is to reflect, understand, and evaluate the benefits as well as the distractions that individuals and teams are faced with while working in a virtual world. As we all know, to be successful today, we need to embrace the value of these platforms in order to keep up with the thriving world of Web based technology. Collaboration, publication, peer review and exchange of precompetitive information are now becoming the keys to success in this knowledge based economy (Tapscott, Williams, 2008 p.153). While we have all of the technological tools at our disposal to create a successful virtual environment, we still tend to lack some of the key ingredients needed to capitalize
Lipnack, J., & Stamps, J. (1997). Virtual teams: Reaching across space, time, and organizations with technology (p. 262). New York, NY: Wiley.
Jarvenpaa, S.L., Knoll, K. & Leidner, D.E. (1998). Is anybody out there? Antecedents of trust in global virtual teams. Journal of management information systems, 14(4): 29-64 (Spring).